Junk Mail Handling

Email spam is one of the most annoying and time-consuming distractions of the digital age. It seems that once your email address gets into public circulation, there is no end to the useless and mailbox-clogging messages you receive.

GroupWise 7 features a powerful Junk Mail Handling function that lets you automate the process of dealing with spam, such as solicitations and other inappropriate messages. When enabled, the junk mail feature can either block the message (you will never see it), or it can place the message into a folder called Junk Mail, where you can then review it to verify that it is indeed junk mail.

NOTE

Junk Mail Handling does not apply to internal email messages originating from users on your GroupWise system. It applies only to messages in which the sender's email address is in the format of [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], and so on.

You can use the Junk Mail Handling feature in one of three ways:

• You can block individual email addresses or entire Internet domains. You accomplish this by adding these addresses or domains to a Block List. Messages received from these addresses or Internet domains are blocked and never arrive at your mailbox.

• You can establish a Junk List and add individual email addresses or entire Internet domains to this list. Messages originating from these addresses or domains are delivered to the Junk Mail folder in your mailbox. You can specify that items in this folder be automatically deleted after a certain number of days.

• You can route all messages from individuals who are not in your personal address books to the Junk Mail folder. This is known as a white list, meaning that you will get mail delivered to your mailbox only from users in your personal address book. All other mail will go to the Junk Mail folder by default.

The Junk Mail folder is not enabled by default when you begin using GroupWise. It is created when you enable the Junk Mail Handling feature. If Junk Mail Handling options are enabled, this folder cannot be deleted.

TIP

When you enable the junk mail feature, you do not need to be running the GroupWise client for it to work or be active. The settings you define for Junk Mail Handling are stored and executed by the GroupWise post office agent that your GroupWise client connects to. This allows the GroupWise system to keep your mail filtered and managed even when you may not be running the GroupWise client.

Here's how to enable Junk Mail Handling and create the Junk Mail folder:

1.	Choose Tools, Junk Mail Handling.
2.	On the Settings tab, enable the Junk Mail Handling features you want to implement.
3.	Click the Junk List tab and add email addresses or Internet domains.
4.	Click the Block List tab and add the email addresses or Internet domains you want to block.
5.	Click OK.

To delete items from the Junk Mail folder, right-click the folder and select Empty Junk Mail Folder.

TIP

When you receive an email message from a user or Internet domain that you want to add to either the Junk List or Block List, simply right-click the message, select Junk Mail, and then select either Trust Junk Sender or Block Sender.

The following sections describe each tab used to configure Junk Mail Handling in the GroupWise client and what each function does.

Settings Tab

The Settings tab is the place where you control whether the junk mail feature is enabled and what lists are active that the junk mail engine will reference. The following choices are available from the Settings tab and allow you to enable or disable the various junk mail handling features:

• Enable Junk List Checking this option places mail items from users who are on the Junk List into the Junk Mail folder for your review.

• Enable Junk Mail Using Personal Address Books Checking this option places all mail not in your personal address books (including Frequent Contacts) in the Junk Mail folder for your review. This setting allows you to get mail only from users defined in your address books and can be very effective in blocking unwanted spam. If enabling this setting, you will want to monitor your Junk Mail folder and add senders to your address books that you want to receive mail from. (When reading the message, right-click the From address and select Add to Frequent Contacts to quickly add the sender's address to your Frequent Contacts address book.)

• Automatically Delete Items This option allows the Junk Mail folder to automatically be cleaned up after a number of days you specify.

• Enable Block List This option blocks (deletes) all mail from any user on the Block List tab. If a message is blocked, it is not placed in the Trash folder; it is literally blocked and never delivered to your account.

Junk List Tab

On the Junk List tab, you can place addresses and domains that you want to junk instead of block. (Junk means that the items will be placed in the Junk Mail folder.) Items on this list are active when you enable the Junk List option from the Settings tab. You can have up to 1,000 user entries or 500 domain entries on this list.

Note the Last Used and Count columns. They report how often you receive mail from specific domains or user addresses. This allows you to remove ineffective or rarely used addresses or domains, keeping your junk list updated and working optimally.

Block List Tab

On the Block List tab, you can place addresses and domains that you want to block completely. (Block means that the email is completely blocked and you never see it in your mailbox, Junk Mail folder, or Trash.)Items on this list are active when you enable the Block List option from the Settings tab. You can have up to 1,000 user entries or 500 domain entries on this list.

Note the Last Used and Count columns. They report how often you receive mail from specific domains or user addresses. This allows you to remove ineffective or rarely used addresses or domains, keeping your block list updated and working optimally.

Trust List Tab

A feature that works in tandem with Junk Mail Handling is the Trust List. You use the Trust List to perform the opposite task as the Block List. For example, suppose your main competitor is Lights Unlimited. Therefore, you decide to add the lightsunlimited.com domain to your Block List so that you never receive messages from anyone employed at Lights Unlimited. However, you happen to have a good friend from high school who takes a job at Lights Unlimited. You can use the Trust List to allow email messages from your friend to bypass the block you placed on the lightsunlimited.com domain. You can have up to 1,000 user entries or 500 domain entries on this list.

Note the Last Used and Count columns. They report how often you receive mail from specific domains or user addresses that you specifically trust.

NOTE

If a list contains more than 1,000 user entries or 500 domain entries, the GroupWise system will automatically reduce the list to 1,000 entries. It does this by referencing the last-used value for each entry and removing the entries that have the oldest last-used dates on them.